LH747FTL

26 December 2003
Helsinki Vantaa (HEL/EFHK) – Frankfurt Main Intl (FRA/EDDF)
Lufthansa LH 3101
Airbus A321-231
D-AISG “Dormagen”
1355-1525 – On Time
Business Class, Seat 1A

I arrived at Helsinki airport about two hours before – the economy class lines were completely insane, stretching out all the way to the AF ticket counter. SAS Self Service rejected my ticket because “ticket information doesn’t match the reservation”. Checked in at the business class counters quickly, the guy just handed two boarding passes to me without saying a word…

I quickly made my way to the SAS lounge – it was absolutely empty. They had some ham and glögi (hot x-mas drink) available, but otherwise the lounge was its usual very basic self. The toilet stank absolutely horrible, next time I’ll just go outside to use regular toilets. It was gross. There were two more people in the lounge by now – they soon boarded their MD80 to Copenhagen. LH3100 from Frankfurt soon landed, and it was an A321 instead of the scheduled A320.

The flight boarded on time at gate 28, and the load was surprisingly light actually. The FRA-HEL sector must have been quite full to warrant the aircraft change. I had row 1 all for myself, and there were three other passengers in business (three rows). The front bulkhead had some Christmas decorations on it and looked nice. Cold refreshment towels were offered before pushback along with newspapers and magazines.

Pushback was right on time and we took off from 22L a few minutes later. Beverages and a bag of almonds were offered after takeoff – I asked for champagne and some water. The stuff I was given was actually some sparkling wine… A hot snack was served shortly thereafter, consisting of mixed salad with French dressing, chicken with rice, some cake and Godiva chocolates. Nice meal for European business class.

As I was sipping my Baileys near Hamburg, a northbound Lufthansa 747-400 passed us – what a beautiful sight! We soon started our descent towards Frankfurt and juices or water on a tray were offered once more in business class. Landed on 25L at 3:25pm and taxied to the A-concourse. The ladies wished me a nice onward flight and I headed to the B gates.

Thanks to Lufthansa’s Christmas schedule changes, I had a 7-hour layover at Frankfurt instead of the original two hours. I suppose I wasn’t the only one, since the standing/smoking room that is also called Lufthansa First Class Lounge / Senator Lounge B had no seats available. My visit lasted about 30 seconds.

United Airlines International First Class Lounge, Frankfurt DE

Luckily United operates a real first class lounge at Frankfurt airport. It’s relatively big, and I was the only passenger there for a while. Food and drink offerings are nothing special, some warmed baguettes, sandwiches etc. They do have JW Black and decent champagne though. There are no computers with internet access. Overall a decent lounge and a peaceful haven compared to the LH lounges. Met some guy on his way from SFO to CPT and had to spend the whole day at FRA. He said he always wanted to visit Thailand but the US authorities say it’s not safe to travel there. Yeah… whatever. The UA lounges close at 8.30pm, so I was forced to go to the Senator Lounge B for a while. The only seat that I found was in the smoking section… Had three glasses of champagne before heading down to B25 for boarding.


26 December 2003
Frankfurt Main Intl (FRA/EDDF) – Bangkok Don Muang Intl (BKK/VTBD)
Lufthansa LH 744
Boeing 747-430
D-ABVB “Bonn”
2200-1410+1 – On Time
First Class, Seat 82K

Boarding was just starting as I made it to the gate, and it was done orderly for once. Nevertheless, once First class and families with children were called, all the Filipinos started rushing to the door (very many MNL bound Filipinos in Y). The guy went nuts and started shouting in his microphone and finally the 300 pax backed off a bit. I was amongst the first to board and made my way to the peaceful upper deck.

I was immediately offered a drink and a bowl of warmed nuts, I chose champagne as usual. The flight attendant said she remembers me from a previous Bangkok flight – nice touch. She worked indeed on my latest flight in Business I believe. My original seat was possibly the best one in F – 83A. There was however a couple split between 83C and 82K and I agreed to switch to 82K. They’re all nice seats anyway and I didn’t want to make anyone’s flight miserable at Christmas. However, I later saw the boarding pass of the lady; she was travelling on positive space LH staff F ticket. Should I have known that, I’d never have moved and I find it quite strange that the crew agreed to ask me as a Senator to change.

The upper deck filled up completely, and slippers, amenity kits and sweaters were handed out before pushback. My glass of champagne was refilled twice and a hot towel was offered as well. Also personal video orders were taken, I ordered none. Noise-cancelling Sennheiser headsets are located in the armrest, you can not remove them. They’re the exact same ones that Finnair uses in business class and quite nice.

We were pushed back for the 9 hour 45 minute night flight exactly on time, at 10pm. We taxied to runway 18 and took off ten minutes later. It’s a different world on the upper deck of the Jumbos, it’s rather quiet and peaceful even during takeoff. The big bird lifted off after a 40-second roll, and we turned left soon thereafter. As soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off, more drinks were offered. I had champagne again. The purser then gave out menus and a Christmas gift from Lufthansa – a Jeunes Restauranteurs d’Europe cookbook. He also chatted a bit with everyone, a nice touch. His last comment was a nice one: “I see you’re a Senator as well, so you fly up here more than I do. Have a great flight.”

The linens, cutlery etc were soon placed on my table, and a rose was placed in the armrest flower holder as usual in LH F. Here’s the menu:

Lufthansa First Class

Frankfurt – Bangkok
Bangkok – Manila

With great pleasure we present to you a true Master of the trade. Today, Frank Zlomke will pamper you with his kitchen artistry.

Dinner

Hors d’oeuvres

Caviar with the traditional Garnishes

Sea Trout Confit with Sushi Rice and Wasabi

Papaya Salad with roasted Cashew Nuts and Curry Dressing

Smoked Ostrich ham and puréed Figs


Salad

Frisée, Radicchio, Lollo Rosso and Lamb’s Lettuce
with Cherry Tomatoes and Croűtons
presented with Grapeseed hazelnut Vinaigrette
or Meaux Mustard Dressing


Entrees

Tenderloin of Springbok in Morello Cherry Crust
accented by Pinotage Jus and Polenta

Fillet of Halibut with Parsley Glaze
complimented by Lemon Butter and Tagliatelle

Eggplant Ravioli enhanced by Rosemary Sauce
and grilled Vegetables

Roasted Goose, Red Cabbage with Apples
and Potato Dumplings with Herb Butter


Cheese and Dessert

International Cheese
Comté, Brie, Bleu d’Auvergne, Morbier
and Pont l’Evęque offered with Grapes

Baumkuchen garnished with Strawberry Coulis

Brioche Pudding with Apple Filling
accompanied by Cinnamon Crčme

German Specialty Dessert Wines


Breakfast

Buffet

Freshly squeezed Orange Juice

Fresh Fruit
Pineapple, Apple, Cantaloupe, Blueberries, Kiwi and Mango

Gourmet Müsli, Yogurt, Chocolate Banana Müsli
Cereal and Fresh Milk

Bread, Rolls, Toast, Brioche, Croissants and Muffins
with Butter, Diet Margarine, Preserves and Honey

A variety of cold Breakfast specialties
featuring roasted Loin of Veal, Chicken Pastrami,
Allgäu Cheese and Spinach Tofu Quiche
garnished with Carrot and Cucumber Sticks
and Pumpkin Seeds


Entrees

Scrambled Eggs will be freshly prepared upon your request
accompanied by your choice of Bacon or Chives

Bread Soufflé with Almonds and Raisins
accompanied by Pineapple Ginger Mascarphone,
marinated Figs and Berry Chutney


Last Minute Breakfast

Coffee or Tea

Freshly squeezed Orange Juice

Croissants

Champagne: 1997 Louise Pommery, Champagne Pommery, France


I started with the caviar and some toast as well as champagne. The cart soon stopped at my row again, I asked for the Papaya Salad this time. The flight attendant handed me the nice plate holder containing all three appetizer choices and said “Why don’t you just try them all!” They were all tasty. As soon as I was finished, my salad with the mustard dressing arrived and my glasses were topped up constantly. Various breads were offered many times, the garlic bread was nice.

The springbok was my choice of entrée and it was perfect. It was one of the best main dishes that I have ever eaten anywhere, no kidding. Cheeses, dessert and chocolates followed and I had a few Baileys with ice as well. There was a young couple and their young baby in 82A/C/H, and after the meal they decided it would be ok to change the diapers right there… Pretty inconsiderate to other I’d say. Later the lady put on the LH sweater, took off her skirt and went to the bathroom with just panties and the sweater – that move I didn’t object at all I then reclined my seat into bed and fell asleep in no time.

I woke up about two hours before landing when the cabin lights were switched on and breakfast service was starting. A glass of freshly squeezed OJ and a hot towel arrived quickly, and the main breakfast service started soon. I was still full from the nice dinner, so I just ordered the fruit plate and scrambled eggs. Both were tasty and nicely presented.

After the meal, I went to the bathroom to change back to normal clothes. The upper deck lavatories are relatively large and have a window, but there are absolutely no amenities, so bring you better take the amenity kit with you. We were already in Thai airspace and started the descent towards Don Muang shortly after I made it back to my seat. Familiar views of Thai countryside came into view, and at 2pm the good old jumbo sharply turned right for finals to BKK 21L.

We landed smoothly a few minutes ahead of schedule and taxied to gate 56. That gate is so far away from T2 immigration that it’s not funny. Passport control took a few minutes, and my bag appeared amongst the first fifty priority bags or so. LH should most definitely attach separate priority tags for First Class baggage, not just the usual Star Alliance priority tag. Took a taxi to the JW Marriott and it took about 22 minutes.

JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok

I had personally requested a king bed non-smoking room during my last stay in the beginning of December, and let them know about my arrival time. However, they had no room assigned for me, and said it would be about an hour’s wait as they had no rooms available at the moment. I would expect a little better for a Marriott elite member who has stayed at this particular hotel six times. Ironically, the first stay was the best and the service has gone downhill on each subsequent visit. No letter from the manager or any newspapers on last visit for example. Nobody escorts you to your room anymore either.

They offered us complimentary orange juice in the lobby lounge, and the room was ready after an hour. Luckily the agent had upgraded us to a very large corner room on the 15th floor with nice views towards the Conrad. The room, while almost double the size of the regular rooms, was missing the comfortable large armchair. There was just a bed, working desk and a TV. It reminded me of the Courtyard Toronto Downtown which has big rooms with pretty much nothing inside them.

The bathroom was absolutely huge, but still had the same small bathtub. Room service and housekeeping staff were exceptional as usual, although they bring you new shower gel at random days and my girlfriend always complains about that. Overall a great stay again but I like the Westin, Shangri-La and Intercontinental more. Can’t beat the location of the JW though.

03 January 2004
Bangkok Don Muang Intl (BKK/VTBD) – Manila Ninoy Aquino Intl (MNL/RPLL)
Lufthansa LH 744
Boeing 747-430
D-ABVD “Bochum”
1510-1935 (1530-1935)
First Class, Seat 83A

The week passed by way too quickly, and it was time to go on to Manila. We took a taxi to the airport at noon – I wanted to have time to check out the SQ and TG F lounges. I checked in at the First counter quickly and bought the departure tax ticket. I then said goodbyes to my girlfriend and headed through immigration straight to the Singapore Airlines First lounge.

Singapore Airlines Silver Kris First Lounge, Bangkok TH

The lounge is quite small and nothing special. Snacks included sandwiches, fried noodles, pastries etc. Swensens and Hägen Dazs ice cream for dessert. No champagne and very basic drink selection. They do have one internet terminal and great views of the tarmac.

Thai Airways International Royal First Class Lounge T2, Bangkok TH

This one is a brand new lounge between concourses 4 and 5. It has a very nice Thai design and feels like a real first class lounge. They have a very nice selection of drinks, including Chivas Royal Salute and Courvoiser XO cognac. Moët&Chandon cordon rouge champagne was available from the kitchen after I asked. They have showers, internet terminals and a decent snack selection as well. I was the only customer in both first class lounges.

LH 744 to Manila was to depart from gate 56 again. I made it there about 20 minutes before departure and boarding had not yet begun. It was quite a zoo at the gate and the flight seemed to be rather full with lots of Filipinos joining from Bangkok as well. As soon as boarding started, I made my way to the upper deck and was told that no other passengers would be joining from Bangkok. There was one guy coming from FRA but he opted not to get any food or drinks during this leg.

I was offered a drink and a bowl of nuts immediately again. However, they served Duval Leroy champagne from business class as pre departure drink… And the pillows were the el cheapo economy class ones. We were pushed back about ten minutes late and taxied to 21R for takeoff. We lifted off after a short roll, and headed towards the Philippine capital.

Quite disappointing service on this flight, no amenity kit or slippers or even menus were given out. There was just one starter, some salmon and vegetables. Main course was either fish with noodles or spicy chicken. I took the fish and it was ok. Dessert was just a fruit plate. The guy serving me on the upper deck was a nice fellow and kept my champagne glass always full (real F stuff after departure) and suggested that I try his special Baileys cocktails after the dinner. Had two and man were they strong. I had a cappuccino as well.

For the rest of the flight, I just plugged in my laptop and read some book that I have as a pdf file there. Meanwhile, the sun was setting and soon it was pitch black outside. We started our descent into Ninoy Aquino International Airport just after 7pm. We landed on time and taxied to the dump called NAIA 1. Said bye to the guys on the upper deck and made my way to immigration which had some lines due to the arrival of KLM and Qantas from Amsterdam and Sydney respectively.

I then proceeded to the hotel taxi area and the guy from Intercontinental arranged a car for P600 to the hotel.

Intercontinental Manila

I made the mistake of not doing enough research on 5* hotels before I bid for this through Priceline. Thus I assumed it would have been either the Makati Shangri La or Peninsula, but I got the Intercontinental for about 6 dollars more than what interconti.com quotes.

I got upgraded to an executive room according to the desk clerk, no idea how it is different from standard rooms as it’s not same as club intercontinental with lounge access. The room itself was a bit old, but with nice furniture and good view of the Glorietta mall. The queen bed was a joke, very hard and uncomfortable. The bathroom was old and small but clean. There’s a fax machine on the working desk and also Intercontinental WorldLink broadband access. The staff were all nice but prices at the hotel are outrageous. A two-minute call to Thailand cost P350 and a burger from room service P440. I have no idea about other Manila 5* hotels, but compared to Thailand, Hong Kong etc, I’d rate this place as 4*, not 5*.

05 January 2004
Manila Ninoy Aquino Intl (MNL/RPLL) – Singapore Changi (SIN/WSSS)
Singapore Airlines SQ 73
Boeing 777-312
9V-SYA
1425-1740 (1445-1820)
First Class, Seat 2A

I took a taxi to the airport at about 11:30am. The driver was a nice guy originally from China, but unfortunately neither of us had any idea how to get to NAIA 1 departures once the signs stopped near the airport. After a few U-turns we finally made it. “This is just torture man. This is so ridiculous. You can only avoid this if you fly crappy PAL.” was his comment when he saw the lines to get inside the terminal. Indeed, I waited an hour outside until reaching the checked luggage screening – two guys were chatting and nobody looking at the screen.

SQ check-in was quick, no additional baggage checks and my boarding pass was already waiting for me at the First Class counter. The pleasant lady tagged my bag with SQ First priority tags, told me how to get to the lounge and wished me a nice flight. I was addressed by name throughout the process which was a nice touch. I then filled out the departure card and paid the P550 departure fee. Immigration lines were dreadful, people couldn’t fit into the area between the airport fee counters and immigration fee counters. Luckily the process was rather quick, and I was through in about 25 minutes.

Silver Kris First Lounge, Manila PH

Had a quick look at the overpriced duty free (USD prices), and made my way through a security check and a patdown search to the SilverKris First lounge near gate 5. It’s a small room to the left from the reception counter. They had nice food choices, but the drink selection wasn’t very good. No champagne was available after I asked, the lady offered white wine which I declined. They have one internet terminal with painfully slow dial-up access. At least SQ doesn’t charge for a prepaid card like Qantas does next door.

The first 777-300 delivered to SQ was waiting at gate 7, and I boarded at about 2:10pm after a throughout check of my two carry-ons. I boarded through door 1L and was greeted by the inflight supervisor and shown to my seat. The leading stewardess in First rushed to open the overhead bins for me and asked if I needed any help with my carry-ons. She suggested that I leave my laptop on the seat next to me as it would be empty. She also took my drink order, a glass of Dom Perignon 1995.

The 777-300s have old-style first class seats, not the SkySuites. They offer about 60-70” of pitch and generous recline, although they do not go fully flat. The seat was very comfortable for such a short flight, but for longer distances, I’d prefer the LH seats if traditional seats are all that’s available. First class was practically empty on this flight, only me and two gentlemen at the other end of row two. The LSS soon came back with the Dom – it was nicely chilled and very tasty as usual. If only LH served that stuff…

She soon came back with a hot towel and a noise cancelling headset and offered me newspapers and magazines. Slippers were offered later as well. Those NC headphones were the best ones I’ve used so far, very nice. This aircraft had just the standard Krisworld system with a small PTV and no AVOD.

We were pushed back a bit late and taxied to runway 06 for takeoff. We took off powerfully, and headed straight towards Singapore – the routing was more or less a straight line as the first officer described it. As soon as the seatbelt sign went off, my SilverKris Sling and a bowl of cold nuts arrived and the LSS took my order for the main course. Here’s the menu for SQ 73 in First:

Light Meal from Manila to Singapore


Appetisers

Terrine of duckliver and scallops


Main Courses

Grilled mahi mahi served with
coriander butter, tomato salsa and
green chilli potato pancake

Oriental style roasted chicken and
barbecued pork, leafy greens and
fragrant rice

Grilled tournedos of beef with
forest mushroom sauce, seasonal
vegetables and roasted potatoes


Dessert

Raspberry sorbet with sesame tuile


From the Bakery

Oven fresh rolls
with a choice of extra virgin olive oil or butter

Garlic bread


Hot Beverages

Freshly brewed coffee

Espresso or cappuccino

Selection of tea


Champagne: Dom Perignon 1995, Krug Grande Cuvee


The food presentation was very nice, and the beef was excellent. I was even offered two choices of mustard to go with the beef. My Dom and water glasses were topped up constantly. The raspberry sorbet was absolutely mouth watering as well. The service was very personal, I was always addressed by name, and carts were never used.

For the rest of the flight, I just reclined my seat, sipped a few more glasses of Dom and chatted with the Malaysian leading stewardess. The views from the window were nice as well as there were hardly any clouds enroute. Changi was experiencing a thunder shower as we were approaching, so we were put on hold for a while which further delayed our arrival. We landed on the runway near terminal one, and had a long taxi to gate F54.

After a few phone calls, I finally found my girlfriend waiting for me near Transfer E. She had arrived on SQ 63 from Bangkok in the afternoon. We then headed through immigration and took a taxi to the Swissotel The Stamford.

Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore SG

I booked this via Priceline for USD 61 a night, a bargain if you ask me. The receptionist welcomed me back and gave us a king room on the 50th floor with stunning views towards the CBD and Orchard Road. The clearly Westin-style room was rather large and there was a balcony as well. The bathroom looked modern but there was no separate shower stall. The bathrobes still had Westin logos hidden under the pockets… Checkout was at 1pm the next day but they allowed us to use the hospitality lounge to take a shower and get changed before heading to the airport.

My original flight home was SQ 326 in First, but they swapped the equipment from a 744 to a 2-class 777-200 after my booking. I was very pissed off, as my new flight would be LH779 with a 12-hour connection in Frankfurt next day. Obviously it’s too hard for LH to release one single award seat on FRA-HEL for a Senator who has been screwed by schedule changes. We arrived at Changi at around 6pm as my girlfriend was flying on SQ 974 back to Bangkok at 8:30pm.

LH website indicated that LH check-in opens in the afternoon and doesn’t close after the Jakarta departure – this was obviously wrong information. I was shocked to see that the LH counters open only at 20:30. Even Air New Zealand who doesn’t offer First to Singapore has early check-in agreements with SQ. A visit to the LH office in the basement was useless – the guy could check me in but not take my luggage. He wouldn’t let me store my luggage either and come back to check it in later. So much for using the SilverKris First Lounge with my girlfriend. I was extremely pissed off at this point.

My girlfriend suggested that I’ll go back to Bangkok with her – not a bad idea actually since I had nothing to lose after losing that SQ F seat already… She had to head through immigration though and we said goodbyes. I made a quick call to LH senator Service – very bad availability, but she found me a seat on the 12th with a good connection to HEL. So there I was at Changi Airport, with no ticket to either FRA or BKK. SQ wanted SGD 677 for a full Y ticket on SQ974, SGD 70 more for Raffles. No thanks.

06 January 2004
Singapore Changi (SIN/WSSS) – Bangkok Don Muang Intl (BKK/VTBD)
Swiss International Air Lines LX 183
Airbus A340-313X
HB-JMA “Matterhorn”
2135-2255 – On Time
Economy Class, Seat 25DEFG

I headed over to Terminal 1 and forked out SGD 245 for a Swiss one way ticket to Bangkok on LX 183, departing in about an hour. About two minutes later, I was handed a boarding pass for 25D with the other three seats blocked - excellent. I wonder how this would have worked in the United States… I then sent an SMS to my girlfriend to wait at BKK for LX 183.

Departure immigration was quick, and I made my way to gate C2 after getting some Thai Baht at the Amex exchange counter. Boarding started late as there were only about 50 people onboard this A340, 14 of them continuing onto Zurich. No wonder Swiss is in its current financial shape… The station manager wished me a nice flight at the door and commented that now I can relax after a busy day. Row 25 is in the first, smaller economy class cabin. The seat was very narrow as usual on widebody Airbuses, and the legroom was non-existent. As a bonus, there was a very large PTV box located under the seat in front of me. Luckily, I had the row of four all to myself.

We were pushed back on time, and took off shortly thereafter for the quick 1h55min hop to the Thai capital. A hot meal was served about half an hour into the flight, it was a total joke – a bowl of noodles with one tiny piece of chicken. The dessert mousse was somewhat decent. Catering had been loaded in Bangkok already as it’s obviously cheaper.

I then had two Baileys, and tried to use the entertainment system. No headsets were given out unless you continued onto ZRH, and at least my PTV system was inoperative as well. It was throwing some MS DOS style text with black background at me. So I took advantage of the four seats – they worked nicely as a flat bed. We soon started our descent into Don Muang, and landed on 21R a few minutes before schedule. The gate used by LX that night was 41, not too far from immigration at all. My bag made it to the baggage claim quickly, due to the light load I guess. Found my girlfriend quickly and we took a taxi to the city.

Finding a decent hotel in BKK proved to be more difficult than I thought. Priceline needs at least 2 days advance purchase, and $72 all areas for 5* got me exactly nothing. However, we weren’t going to stay in that B700 dump that we had for the first night or her apartment as she stays with her sister. I reluctantly went down to 4* riverside - $40 was accepted at the Holiday Inn Silom. I was really expecting the Marriott Resort. Oh well. For the other two nights, I booked President Solitaire for $71 per night.

President Solitaire Executive Serviced Apartments, Bangkok TH

Owned by the President Park Group, this new property is not far from the Grand President in Sukhumvit Soi 11. Their cheapest rooms were sold out ($66), so I booked a Premier Suite for $71. The room was very large, with a separate living area, kitchen, king size bed, 42” plasma TV, DVD player, free internet etc. Very nice actually. The bathroom had a separate shower and a rather large bathtub. Room service was very reasonably priced, about one third of JW/Westin prices.

Holiday Inn Silom, Bangkok TH

This place is a rathole. Me and my girlfriend got a room on the plaza tower - this tower is actually renovated or so they say. Room on the 6th floor had a nice view of a concrete wall. The renovation obviously means new paint and some furniture. The table by the chairs was actually broken already. The 21" TV was about 20 years old, terrible picture quality… The room was dimly lit; all lamps were probably original since the place opened.

The bathroom was the smallest hotel bathroom I've ever had - bathtub was old and dirty, water pressure was non-existent.

The bed was somewhat decent and the renovated hallways look actually quite nice. Room safe was big enough for my laptop.

I would say it's a 2.5-3* at most, location quite bad, quite a walk to Surasak skytrain and Silom is one big traffic jam during the day. Not much to do around the area either.

Don't try to bring ANY female locals to this dump - the joiner fee is B1000. I was charged this once my girlfriend brought over her friend for some drinks in my room after she finished work around 11pm. She didn't stay for more than an hour... If you think the side entrance will work a la JW Marriott - sorry - it's roped off at night and there are security guys everywhere (**** rude about this particular procedure as well).


12 January 2004
Bangkok Don Muang Intl (BKK/VTBD) – Singapore Changi (SIN/WSSS)
Swiss International Air Lines LX 182
Airbus A340-313X
HB-JMC “Zumsteinspitze”
1535-1845 (1555-1910)
Business Class, Seat 7K

Well, let’s skip the part of getting to the airport… I bought a business class ticket at T.V. Airbookings for this flight just to try out the new LX seats; it cost me the same as Y class from Singapore. Check-in for cattle class was a total zoo, but luckily the business counter had just one person in front of me. Thai Airways is doing the handling for Swiss, and the guy checking me in wasn’t particularly friendly.

I headed through immigration at the last minute, and had just enough time to grab a drink in the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge which is ok but nothing special. LX would be boarding from gate 44, surrounded by a CX 777-200 and SQ 747-400 9V-SMU boarding as SQ 65 to Singapore. SQ 973 to SIN was boarding at gate 41 while AY 97 to SIN was boarding at gate 51. LX boarding was delayed due to late arrival of incoming aircraft – actually it wasn’t late according to the arrivals screens…

As soon as boarding started, I made my way to 7K. After everyone had boarded, a pre-departure drink was offered, I took the champagne as usual (Brut Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve Particuliere). It was pretty nice, but no refills were offered. The new seats are a bit cramped due to the shell design. We were pushed back twenty minutes late, and the business class cabin was half empty. Headsets and menus were distributed before takeoff.

My PTV seemed to be working until I actually listened to the audio: Robbie Williams apparently sings classical songs and Beyonce is a Jazz performer nowadays… We took off from 21R and while Lufthansa’s delayed D-ABVZ was waiting for its clearance to Manila. Finnair’s OH-LGC bound for Singapore was tailgating us. Our Airbus was rather light obviously as takeoff was very powerful. We flew over downtown Bangkok and I could easily spot the JW Marriott and Westin Grande Sukhumvit amongst others. Oh, how I wished I was down there and not on my way home…

Meal service soon started, and it’s a disgrace Swiss calls that a business class meal. It was a one-tray affair with a choice of two salads and a bowl of noodles. The noodles were the exact same crap as I got in the back on my way to Bangkok. I had some more champagne and still water with my meal. I had to ask for a water refill as the flight attendants were nowhere to be seen.

Bangkok-Singapore
Light Meal

Mixed salad with balsamic dressing
or
Smoked seabass salad

Chicken served with stir-fried noodles and a red chilli julienne

Fresh fruit salad


I then reclined the seat just to try it – it is the most uncomfortable business class seat that I have ever tried. First of all, it’s cramped and too short for me (I’m 6ft2”/185cm). On top of that, I just kept sliding down when the seat was completely reclined. It was very hard to find any position where it would have been comfortable actually. At this point I just wished I would have taken AY C with nice food and a decent seat (THB 200 cheaper as well).

The flight was very turbulent all the way down to Singapore, and we landed about half an hour behind schedule at Changi international. The Airbus then taxied quickly to C2 again, and I went through immigration and customs as I had to pay the LH office a visit before my flight home. My bag was the second one on the belt due to a Swiss Business Priority –sticker.

12 January 2004
Singapore Changi (SIN/WSSS) – Frankfurt Main Intl (FRA/EDDF)
Lufthansa LH 779
Boeing 747-430
D-ABVM “Hessen”
2359-0605+1 – On Time
First Class, Seat 84C

Lufthansa check-in didn’t actually open at 8:30pm, but about 15 minutes later. The process took a few minutes as the baggage tag printer just wouldn’t work. Nothing special about the check-in process, the guy never addressed me by name etc, but let me know I can use the SQ lounge. Departure immigration was absolutely deserted, but the guy looked at me and the picture in my passport about ten times. That picture is just three years old or so, so I don’t understand what his point was.

SilverKris First Lounge, Singapore SG

I finally got to use this much talked-about SQ First lounge, and was not disappointed. It’s very large for a first class lounge, but even still, it was rather crowded. There’s pretty much everything you need in this lounge, from food buffet to a full service bar. There are also internet terminals, relaxation areas, showers etc. The best feature for sure was the free-flowing Krug champagne from the bar. The best lounge along with the CX HKG lounges that I have visited. Those CX lounges have a much more impressive design, but I have only visited the business class areas.

LH779 was boarding from E27, pretty much as far from the lounge as possible. The new SQ A340-500 was sitting at the gate next to us. There were no separate lines for First/Business, so the wait for security check and boarding was about 15 minutes. I was not impressed. CX/TG usually let you pass the line or even escort you past the lines (happened to me in HKG when flying business).

My seat 84C was in the last row of upper deck, and it’s quite close to the lavatory and galley. However, the flight was 100% full in all classes, so there was nothing I could do. My larger carry-on was stowed in the closet by the flight attendants as the upper deck overhead bins are tiny. A glass of champagne and a bowl of warmed nuts soon arrived. I also requested a sweatshirt and was promptly given one – an old-style Bogner shirt. Hot towels were offered as well. I put on my headset, tuned onto Lufthansa Club Mix and was actually looking forward to the 13-hour flight.

We were pushed back roughly on time, had a long taxi to the active runway. Takeoff roll was long as one would expect on a flight with actual flying time of 12 hours and 45 minutes. More drinks were offered after takeoff, and the menus, amenity kits and slippers were handed out. Here’s the menu for LH779:

Lufthansa First Class
Singapore-Frankfurt


Dinner


Hors d’oeuvre

Caviar with the traditional Garnishes

Marinated Salmon with Sesame

Carpaccio of Guinea Fowl
offered with a Green Papaya Salad
enhanced by spicy Nut Sauce

Vegetable Terrine
served with a Goat Cheese Dumpling


Salad

Seasonal Greens with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Radishes
presented with Japanese or Guacamole Dressing

Bread, Rolls, Toast and Butter


Entrees

Grilled Tenderloin of Beef
accompanied by lemon Thyme Glaze,
String Beans and Potatoes au Gratin

Pretzel Soufflé atop Marjoram Sauce
with Leaf Spinach, Carrots and Mushrooms

Stir-fried Prawns complemented by Oyster Fond,
Macadamia Nuts, Chilli Julienne, Shallot Rice
and Asparagus

Pandan roasted Breast of Duck
accented by Jackfruit Chutney, Broccoli,
E-fu Noodles and Sweet Potatoes


Cheese and Dessert

International Cheese
Gorgonzola, Brie, Port-Salut, Emmental and Cheddar Cheese

Yogurt and Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Coulis

Jackfruit Strudel

German Specialty Dessert Wines


Breakfast

Buffet

Freshly squeezed Orange Juice

Fresh Fruit

Yogurt, Cereal, fresh Milk and Müsli with Walnuts

Bread, Rolls, Toast, Croissants, Muffins and Danish Pastries
with Butter, Diet Margarine, Preserves and Honey

A variety of cold Breakfast specialties
featuring smoked Leg of Lamb, Edam,
Brie and Emmental Cheese


Entrees

Scrambled Eggs will be freshly prepared upon your request
accompanied by your choice of smoked Turkey Julienne,
Shiitake Mushrooms or Chives

Kaya French Toast filled with Coconut Jam
and Pancakes offered with Cinnamon Vanilla Sauce
and stewed Apples


Last Minute Breakfast

Coffee or Tea

Freshly squeezed Orange Juice

Croissants


I opted for some caviar and toast to start with; a nice touch was the shot of vodka offered by the flight attendant. The appetiser cart soon made its second appearance, some more caviar for me. The salad wasn’t as good as on FRA-BKK this time, but still tasty. The garlic bread was great as usual. My choice for the main course was the beef. It was good but the SQ beef dish was actually better. I then had some cheese and crackers with some nice port and finished my meal with the yogurt and chocolate mousse which was excellent. Also chocolates were offered and I had a few Baileys with ice as well as a cappuccino. This was another great Lufthansa meal.

I then reclined my seat into a bed and proceeded to sleep. The Lufthansa bed is actually very comfortable; comparing it with the new sloped flat business beds (LX) is like comparing apples with oranges. I really like the upper deck as well; it feels very exclusive and quiet. I woke up just in time for breakfast, and was still stuffed from the dinner earlier on the flight.

The breakfast offerings were excellent again, I had some fruit, yogurt, toast and scrambled eggs. I then changed back to my normal clothes, and we were just 40 minutes outside Frankfurt Airport. Descent started soon, and we landed on 25L a few minutes early. We followed Thai’s HS-TGT (TG920 from Bangkok and Phuket) and D-ABVZ (LH744 from Bangkok and Manila) to the B gates. Those are old friends of mine, I have been on both of them twice so far. German police didn’t bother checking our passports at the gate, and I was in the LH Business Lounge B48 within seconds, after hauling up my stuff using the only staircase up to this lounge (hint to LH: get an elevator like SQ has in Singapore). Since TG920 and LH744 were still taxiing to their gates, I expected no waiting list for the showers… Obviously that would be a miracle in Frankfurt LH lounges. However, the wait was just ten minutes or so.

13 January 2004
Frankfurt Main Intl (FRA/EDDF) – Helsinki Vantaa (HEL/EFHK)
Lufthansa LH 3100
Airbus A320-211
D-AIQM “Nordenham”
0955-1320 (1010-1330)
Business Class, Seat 3DEF

I then made my way to the A-concourse for my Helsinki flight; the moving walkways in the tunnel going from B to A were undergoing maintenance, making it quite a long hike. The original gate was A26, just outside the Senator standing room, obviously too good to be true. LH3100 would be departing from A10 at the other end of the corridor. There were absolutely no seats available in the small lounge as I entered, but luckily some people left and I managed to get one of the rather comfy leather chairs. LH has done away with the free internet terminals, replacing them with overpriced Vodafone WLAN. Another great improvement….

LH3100 was delayed as well, guess why? Delayed incoming aircraft of course. Boarding started at the scheduled departure time, and was done quickly. I had the three seats in row three all to myself, Business was rather full otherwise (5 rows). We were pushed back fifteen minutes late and quickly taxied to 25L for takeoff. We took off immediately after a landing Lufthansa jumbo (D-ABVS) vacated the runway.

Drinks, refreshment towels, newspapers and magazines were offered, and service was good on this short flight. The meal consisted of a cheese salad and some veal as the main dish. Some cake and chocolates were offered as dessert. There was also a menu on the tray:

Lufthansa Business Class

Hors d’oeuvre

Porcini Mushroom marinated Roast Beef
and smoked Marlin with Ratatouille Salad

Rolls and Butter


Entrees

Braised Shoulder of Veal au Jus
served with Green Asparagus
and Vegetable Polenta

Fiorelli Pasta filled with Eggplant
complemented by Bell Pepper Sauce and Pesto


Cheese and Dessert

Mozzarella and sliced Tomato with Basil Oil

Amarettini Cake with Mocha Sauce

Chocolates


This is obviously a generic menu for European services and since the Helsinki flight is designated as snack/brunch, no starter was offered and just the first main course choice was available as well. Nevertheless, the meal was more than adequate, but I do dislike the fact that LH serves just sparkling wine in European C, not champagne.

After the meal, the remaining flight time was about 1h20min, and I just had a few baileys and enjoyed the views from the window. We landed on runway 15 about ten minutes late, and the taxied to gate 28 – the exact same gate where I had boarded D-AISG on Boxing Day. The bags came out in random order as usual… LH crew bags first of course! I then bought a ticket for a bus trip home – it took a mere three hours instead of the 1h30min that it takes when I drive. However, I saved a significant amount in parking this way.

Hope you enjoyed the long report… The holidays passed by way too quickly and now I’m back at university, studying international business.

Photos are available at

http://personal.inet.fi/surf/pics2/

Regards,

LH747FTL

Fraser

Great report, hope you backed it up numerous times!

btw, couldnt get the pictures to work

LH747FTL

The pics worked fine when I uploaded them. But the site seems to be down now. Good old Finnish telecom company Sonera at it again... Hopefully it will work soon or I'll move the pics to another site tomorrow. (Mostly meals and some cabin shots).

tomashi

Hi!

Always love your reports! Thanx for the interesting pictures as well.

Greetings from Austria

I wish you a great travel year 2004!

Tom

airoli

Very good report as usual. I appreciate your comments on the new LX A340 and look forward to test it myself next month (in Y and C).

------------------
truly yours. airOli.
March 1st 2004: Morgestraich Do!

eMailman

What did you think of the '95 Dom compared to say the '93, '92, '90, or '88?

jpatokal

Interesting report! I've also flown SIN-FRA-HEL on exactly the same LH flights, but in cattle class -- not something I'll be doing again, at least for the long haul. It's hard to imagine it was the same plane as your description!

And now I'll also know to avoid LX for BKK-hopping, so thanks for that tip too.

LondonElite

Execellent trip report...my contact lenses dried out reading it!

flamboyant 1

I can agree!

Tirreg

Great report and very nice pictures !!! Very strange that the purser on your FRA-BKK flight asked you (as a SEN) to change your seat with a LH nonrev.

pallensf

Quite exceptional LH747FTL...

Love the caviar, champagne and red rose idea...and the pics were just perfect.

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Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

Seat 2A

Yet another spectacular - not to mention delicious - trip report from one of my favorite Trip Reporters out there!

Well done, LH747FTL!

Uli

thank you for the great report!

Frequent_Flyer1

LH747FT, as usual an excellent trip-report! How did you like the new camera-function on the LX 340 ?

RTW4

Your reports are absolutely fabulous. I have learned quite a bit about attention to detail here. Thanks so much for putting in the time to document everything here